told in London) regard any new play, and your prefent fituation at the Court, are the difficulties to be overcome; but thofe circumftances may have altered (at least the former) fince I left you. My scheme was to pass a month at Aimsbury, and then go to Twickenham, and live a winter between that and Dawley, and fometimes at Rifkins, without going to London, where I now can have no occafional lodgings: But I am not yet in any condition for such removals. I would fain have you get enough against you grow old, to have two or three fervants about you and a convenient house. It is hard to want thofe fubfidia fenectuti, when a man grows hard to pleafe, and few people care whether he be pleafed or no. I have a large house, yet I should hardly prevail to find one vifiter, if I were not able to hire him with a bottle of wine: fo that, when I am not abroad on horfeback, I generally dine alone, and am thankful, if a friend will pass the evening with me. I am now with the remainder of my pint before me, and fo here's your health and the fecond and chief is to my Tunbridge acquaintance, my Lady Duchefs -and I tell you that I fear my Lord Bolingbroke and Mr. Pope (a couple of Philofophers) would ftarve me, for even of port wine I fhould require half a pint a day, and

as

as much at night: and you were growing as bad, unless your Duke and Duchefs have mended you. Your cholic is owing to intemperance of the philofophical kind; you cat without care, and if you drink lefs than I, you drink too little. But your Inattention I cannot pardon, because I imagined the cause was removed, for I thought it lay in your forty millions of schemes by Court-hopes and Courtfears. Yet Mr. Pope has the fame defect, and it is of all others the moft mortal to converfation; neither is my Lord Bolingbroke untinged with it all for want of my rule, Vive la bagatelle! but the Doctor is the King of Inattention. What a vexatious life fhould I lead among you? If the Duchefs be a reveufe, I will never come to Aimsbury; or, if I do, I will run away from you both, to one of her women, and the steward and chaplain.

Madam,

I mentioned fomething to Mr. Gay of a Tunbridge-acquaintance, whom we forget of course when we return to town, and yet I am affured that if they meet again next summer, they have a better title to refume their commerce. Thus I look on my right of correfponding with your Grace to be better eftablish'd upon your return to Aimbury; and I

fhall

fhall at this time defcend to forget, or at least suspend my resentments of your neglect all the time you were in London. I ftill keep in my heart, that Mr. Gay had no fooner turned his back, than you left the place in this letter void which he had commanded you to fill: though your guilt confounded you fo far, that you wanted presence of mind to blot out the last line, where that command stared you in the face. But it is my misfortune to quarrel with all my acquaintance, and always come by the worft; and fortune is ever against me, but never fo much as by pursuing me out of mere partiality to your Grace, for which you are to anfwer. By your connivance, the hath pleased, by one stumble on the stairs, to give me a lameness that fix months hath not been able perfectly to cure: and thus I am prevented from revenging myself by continuing a month at Aimsbury, and breeding confufion in your Grace's family. No difappointment through my whole life hath been fo vexatious by many degrees; and God knows whether I fhall ever live to fee the invincible Lady to whom I was obliged for so many favours, and whom I never beheld fince the was a bratt in hanging-fleeves. I am, and shall be ever, with the greatest respect and gratitude, Madam, your Grace's most obedient, and most humble, &c.

VOL. IX.

P

LET

I

LETTER LIX.

Dublin, Aug. 12, 1732.

Know not what to fay to the account of your stewardship, and 'tis monftrous to me that the South-sea should pay half their debts at one clap. But I will fend for the money when you put me into the way, for I shall 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 some lucky hint which must come by chance, and it shall be a thing of importance, quod & hunc in annum vivat & in plures, and you fhall not finish it in haste, and it shall be diverting, and usefully fatirical, and the Duchess shall be your critic; and betwixt you and me, I do not find she will grow weary of you till this time seven years. I had lately an offer to change for

an

an English living, which is just too short by 300l. a year and that must be made up out of the Duchefs's pin-money before I can consent. I want to be Minister of Aimsbury, Dawley, Twickenham, Rifkins, and Prebendary of Westminster, elfe I will not ftir a step, but content myself with making the Duchefs miferable three months next fummer. But I keep ill company: I mean the Duchess 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 profess 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. prevent which last evil at Aimsbury, you must learn to domineer and be peevish, to find fault with their victuals and drink, to chide and direct the servants, with fome other leffons, which I shall teach you, and always practised myself with fuccefs. I believe I formerly defired to know whether the Vicar of Aimsbury can play at back-gammon? pray afk him the question, and give him my service.

To