partly to your genius, employing you in an art in which faction has nothing to do; for I fuppofe Virgil and Horace are equally read by Whigs and Tories. You have no more to do with the conftitution of church and ftate, than a Christian at Conftantinople; and you are fo much the wifer and the happier, becaufe both parties will approve your poetry as long as you are known to be of neither. Your notions of friendship are new to me I believe every man is born with his quantum, and he cannot give to one without robbing another. I very well know to whom I would give the first places in my friendship, but they are not in the way; I am condemned to another fcene; and therefore I diftribute it in pennyworths to thofe about me, and who difpleafe me leaft; and should do the fame to my fellow-prifoners, if I were condemned to jail. I can likewife tolerate knaves much better than fools, because their knavery does me no hurt in the commerce I have with them; which, however, I own is more dangerous, though not fo troublefome as that of fools. I have often endeavoured to establifh a friendfhip among all men of genius. and would fain have it done: they are feldom above three or four contemporaries; and if they could be united, would drive the world before them. I think it was fo among the poets in the time of Auguftus; but envy, and party, and pride, have hindered it among us. I do not include the fubalterns, of which you are feldom without a large tribe. Under the name of poets and fcribblers, I fuppofe you mean the fools you are content to fee fometimes when they happen to be modeft; which was not frequent among them while I was in the world. Yet they are the Chriftian no.ions. Warb. I would I would defcribe to you my way of living, if any method could be called fo in this country. I chuse my companions among thofe of leaft confequence and most compliance. I read the most trifling books; I can find: but riding, walking, and fleeping, take up eighteen of the twenty four hours. I procraftinate more than I did twenty years ago; and have feveral things to finifh, which I put off to twenty years hence: Hæc eft vita folutorum. c. I fend you the compliments of a friend of yours, who hath paffed four months this fummer with two grave acquaintance at his country-house, without ever once going to Dublin, which is but eight miles diftant; yet when he returns to London, I will engage you fhall find him as deep in the court of requests, the park, the operas, and the coffee-house, as any man there. I am now with him for a few days. You must remember me with great affection to Dr. Arbuthnot, Mr. Congreve, and Gay. I think there are no more codem tertio's between you and me, except Mr. Jervas, to whofe houfe I addrefs this, for want of knowing where you live: for it was not clear from your laft, whether you lodge with Lord Peterborow, or he with you. I am ever, &c. LETTER XI. Sept. 14. 1725. I Need not tell you with, what real delight I fhould have done any thing you desired, and in particular any good offices in my power towards the bearer of your letter who is this day gone for France, France. Perhaps it is with poets as with prophets; they are fo much better liked in another country than their own, that your gentleman, upon arriving in England, loft his curiofity concerning me. However, had he tried, he had found me his friend; I mean, he had found me yours. I am difappointed at not knowing better a man whom you efteem, and comfort myself only with having got a letter from you; with which, after all, I fit down a gainer; fince, to my great pleasure, it confirms my hope of once more feeing you. After fo many difperfions and fo many divifions, two or three of us may may yet be gathered together; not to plot, not to contrive filly fchemes of ambition, or to vex our own or others hearts with bufy vanities, (fuch as perhaps at one time of life or other take their tour in every man); but to divert ourfelves, and the world too if it pleases, or at worst, to laugh at others as innocently and as unhurtfully as at ourselves. Your travels * I hear much of; my own, I promise you, fhall never more be in a ftrange land, but a diligent, I hope useful, investigation of my own territories +. I mean no more tranflations, but fomething domeftic, fit for my own country, and for my own time. If you come to us, I'll find you elderly ladies enough that can halloo, and two that can nurse, and they are too old and feeble to make too much noife; as you will guefs, when I tell you they are my own mother and my own nurfe. I can also help you to a lady who is as deaf, though not fo old, as yourself; you'll be pleased with one another: I'll engage, though you don't hear one another you'll converfe like fpirits by intuition. What you'll most wonder at, is, fhe is confiderable at court, yet no party-woman; and lives in court, yet would be easy, and make you easy. • Gulliver. VOL. IX. The effay on man. One complete, newly augmented and intended for the prefs when the world fhall deferve them, or rather when a printer fhall be found brave enough to venture his ears I like the scheme of our meeting after diftreffes and difperfions; but the chief end I propofe to myself in all my labours, is to vex the world, rather than divert it; and if I could compass that defign, without hurting my own perfon or fortune, I would be the moft indefatigable writer you have ever feen without reading. I am exceedingly pleafed that you have done with tranflations. Lord Treafurer Oxford often lamented, that a rafcally world thould lay you under a neceffity of mifemploying your genius for fo long a time. But fince you will now be fo much better employed, when you think of the world, give it one lafh the more at my requeft. I have ever hated all nations, profeffions, and communities; and all my love is towards individuals. For instance, I hate the tribe of lawyers; but I love Counsellor fuch a one, and Judge fuch a one. "Tis fo with phyficians, (I will not speak of my own trade) foldiers, English, Scotch, French, and the reft. But principally I hate and deteft that animal called man,- although I heartily love John, Peter, Thomas, and fo forth. This is the fyftem upon which I have governed myfelf many years, (but do not tell) and fo I fhall go on till I have done with them. I have got materials towards a treatife, proving the falfity of that definition, animal rationale, and to fhew it thoald be only rationis capax. Upon this great founda tion of mifanthropy (though not in Timon's manner) the whole building of my travels is erected;. and I never will have peace of mind till all honeft men are of my opinion. By confequence you are to embrace it immediately, and procure that all who deforve my efteem may do fo too. The matter is fo clear, that it will admit of no difpute; nay, I will Dd 2 hold |