near to fing lo Triumphe! and celebrate my happinefs in verfe; and, I believe, if you won't, I fhall. The infcription to the Dunciad is now printed and inferted in the Poem. Do you care I fhould fay any thing farther how much that poem is yours? fince certainly without you it had never been. Would to God we were together for the rest of our lives! The whole weight of Scriblers would just serve to find us amusement, and not more. I hope you are too well employed to mind them: every ftick you plant, and every ftone you lay, is to fome purpose; but the business of fuch lives as theirs is but to die daily, to labour, and raise nothing. I only wish we could comfort each other under our bodily infirmities, and let those who have fo great a mind to have more Wit than we, win it and wear it. Give us but ease, health, peace, and fair weather! I think it is the best wifh in the world, and you know whofe it was. If I liv'd in Ireland, I fear the wet climate wou'd indanger more than my life; my humour, and health; I am fo Atmospherical a crea

ture.

I must not omit acquainting you, that what you heard of the words spoken of you in the Drawingroom, was not true. The fayings of Princes are generally as ill related as the fayings of Wits. To fuch reports little of our regard fhould be given, and lefs of our conduct influenc'd by them.

LETTER XXXV.

From Dr. SWFIT.

Dublin, Feb. 13, 1728.

Liv'd very eafily in the country: Sir A. is a man of fenfe, and a fcholar, has a good voice, and my Lady a better; he is perfectly well bred, and defirous to improve her understanding, which is very good, but cultivated too much like a fine Lady. She was my pupil there, and feverely chid when the read wrong; with that, and walking, and making twenty little amufing improvements, and writing family verses of mirth by way of libels on my Lady, my time paft very well and in very great order; infinitely better than here, where I fee no creature but my fervants and my old Prefbyterian house-keeper, denying myself to every body, till I fhall recover

my ears.

a

The account of another Lord Lieutenant was only in a common news-paper, when I was in the country; and if it fhould have happened to be true, I would have defired to have had accefs to him as the fituation I am in requires. But this renews the grief for the death of our friend Mr. Congreve, whom I loved from my youth, and who furely, befides his other talents, was a very agreeable companion. He had the misfortune to fquander away very good conftitution in his younger days; and I think a man of fense and merit like him, is bound in confcience to preferve his health for the fake of his friends, as well as of himself. Upon his own account I could not much defire the continuance of his life, under fo much pain, and fo many infirmities. Years have not yet hardened me; and I have an addition of weight on my fpirits fince we loft him; tho' I faw him fo feldom, and poffibly, if he

had

I

had liv'd on, fhould never have seen him more. do not only wish as you ask me, that I was unacquainted with any deferving perfon, but almost that I never had a friend. Here is an ingenious goodhumour'd Phyfician, a fine gentleman, an excellent fcholar, eafy in his fortunes, kind to every body, hath abundance of friends, entertains them often and liberally, they pass the evening with him at cards, with plenty of good meat and wine, eight or a dozen together; he loves them all, and they him. He has twenty of thefe at command; if one of them dies, it is no more than poor Tom! he gets another, or takes up with the reft, and is no more mov'd than at the lofs of his cat; he offends no-body, is easy with every body-Is not this the true happy man? I was defcribing him to my Lady A-, who knows him too, but the hates him mortally by my character,and will not drink his health: I would give half my fortune for the fame temper, and yet I cannot fay I love it, for I do not love my Lord who is much of the Doctor's nature. I hear Mr. Gay's fecond Opera, which you mention, is forbid; and then he will be once more fit to be advised, and reject your advice. Adieu.

LETTER XXXVI.

Dr. SWIFT to Lord BOLINGBROKE.

Dublin, March 21, 1729.

OU tell me you have not quitted the defign

You

of collecting, writing, &c. This is the anfwer of every finner who defers his repentance. I wifh Mr. Pope were as great an urger as I, who long for nothing more than to fee truth under your hands, laying all detraction in the duft-I find my

felf

felf difpofed every year, or rather every month, to be more angry and revengeful; and my rage is fo ignoble, that it defcends even to refent the folly and baseness of the enslaved people among whom I live. I knew an old Lord in Leicestershire, who amused himself with mending pitchforks and fpades for his Tenants gratis. Yet I have higher ideas left, if I were nearer to objects on which I might employ them; and contemning my private fortune, would gladly cross the channel and stand by, while betters were driving the Boars out of the garden, if my there be any probable expectation of fuch an endeaWhen I was of your age I often thought of death, but now after a dozen years more, it is never out of my mind, and terrifies me lefs, Iconclude that Providence hath order'd our fears to decrease with our fpirits; and yet I love la bagatelle better than ever: for finding it troublesome to read at night, and the company here growing tasteless, I am always writing bad profe, or worse verses, either of rage or raillery, whereof fome few escape to give offence, or mirth, and the rest are burnt.

vour.

They print fome Irish trash in London, and charge it on me, which you will clear me of to my friends, for all are fpurious except one * paper, for which Mr. Pope very lately chid me. I remember your Lordship us'd to say, that a few good speakers would in time carry any point that was right; and that the common method of a majority, by calling, To the queftion, would never hold long when reafon was on the other fide. Whether politics do not change like gaming by the invention of new tricks, I am ignorant? but I believe in your time you would never, as a Minister, have fuffer'd an Act to pass thro' the H. of C―s, only because you were sure

*Entituled, A Libel on Dr. Delany, ard a certain great Lord.

of a majority in the H. of L-s to throw it out; because it would be unpopular, and confequently a lofs of reputation. Yet this we are told hath been the cafe in the qualification-bill relating to Penfioners. It should seem to me, that Corruption, like avarice, hath no bounds. I had opportunities to know the proceedings of your ministry better than any other man of my rank; and having not much to do, I have often compar'd it with these last fixteen years of a profound peace all over Europe, and we running seven millions in debt. I am forc'd to play at small game, to set the beasts here a madding, meerly for want of better game, Tentanda via eft qua me quoque poffim, &c.-The D-take those politics, where a Dunce might govern for a dozen years together. I will come in person to England, if I am provok'd, and fend for the Dictator from the plough. I difdain to fay, O mihi præteritosbut cruda deo viridifque fenectus. Pray, my Lord, how are the Gardens? have you taken down the mount, and remov'd the yew hedges? Have you not bad weather for the spring-corn? Has Mr. Pope gone farther in his Ethic Poems? and is the headland fown with wheat? and what fays Polybius? and how does my Lord St. John? which laft queftion is very material to me, because I love Burgundy, and riding between Twickenham and Dawley. -I built a wall five years ago, and when the mafons play'd the knaves, nothing delighted me fo much as to ftand by, while my fervants threw down what was amifs: I have likewife feen a Monkey overthrow all the dishes and plates in a kitchen, merely for the pleasure of seeing them tumble and hearing the clatter they made in their fall. I wish you would invite me to fuch another entertainment; but you think, as I ought to think, that it is time for me to have done with the world, and so I would if I could get into a better before I was called into

the