I was thought a Divine, a Philofopher, and what not; and my doctrine had a fanction I could not have given to it. Whether I can proceed in the fame grave march like Lucretius, or must descend to the gayeties of Horace, I know not, or whether I can do either? but be the future as it will, I fhall collect all the past in one fair quarto this winter, and fend it you, where you will find frequent mention of yourfelf. I was glad you fuffer'd your writings to be collected more completely than hitherto, in the volumes I daily expect from Ireland: I wish'd it had been in more pomp, but that will be done by others: yours are beauties, that can never be too finely dreft, for they will ever be young. I have only one piece of mercy to beg of you; do not laugh at my gravity, but permit me to wear the beard of a Philosopher, till I pull it off, and make a jest of it myself. "Tis just what my Lord B. is doing with Metaphyfics. I hope, you will live to fee, and ftare at the learned figure he will make, on the fame fhelf with Locke and Malbranche.

You fee how I talk to you (for this is not writing) if you like I fhould do fo, why not tell me fo? if it be the leaft pleasure to you, I will write once a week moft gladly; but can you abstract the letters from the person who writes them, fo far, as not to feel more vexa

VOL. IX.

S

tion

tion in the thought of our feparation, and those misfortunes which occafion it, than fatisfaction in the Nothings he can exprefs? If you can, really and from my heart, I cannot. I return again to melancholy. Pray, however, tell me, is it a fatisfaction? that will make it one to me; and we will Think alike, as friends ought, and you fhall hear from me punctually just when you will.

P. S. Our friend, who is just returned from a progress of three months, and is fetting out in three days with me for the Bath, where he will stay till towards the middle of October, left this letter with me yesterday, and I cannot feal and difpatch it till I have fcribled the remainder of this page full. He talks very pompously of my Metaphyfics, ahd places them in a very honourable station. It is true, I have writ fix letters and an half to him on subjects of that kind, and I propose a letter and an half more, which would fwell the whole up to a confiderable volume. But he thinks me fonder of the Name of an Author than I am. When he and you, and one or two other friends have feen them, fatis magnum Theatrum mihi eftis, I shall not have the itch of making them more public a. I

know how little regard you pay to writings of this kind. But I imagine that if you can like any fuch, it must be thofe that ftrip Metaphyfics of all their bombast, keep within the fight of every well-constituted Eye, and never bewilder themfelves whilst they pretend to guide the reason of others. I writ to you a long letter fome time ago, and fent it by the post. Did it come to your hands? or did the infpectors of private correfpondence ftop it, to revenge themselves of the ill faid of them in it? Vale & me ama.

LETTER LXXII.

From Dr. SWIFT.

Nov. 1, 1734.

Have yours with my Lord B-'s Postfcript of September 15: it was long on its way, and for fome weeks after the date I was very ill with my two inveterate disorders, giddinefs and deafnefs. The latter is pretty well off; but the other makes me totter towards

evenings, and much difpirits' me. But I continue to ride and walk, both of which, although they be no cures, are at leaft amufements. I did never imagine you to be either inconstant,

or to want right notions of friendship, but I apprehend your want of health; and it hath been a frequent wonder to me how you have been able to entertain the world fo long, fo frequently, fo happily, under fo many bodily diforders. My Lord B. fays you have been three months rambling, which is the best thing you can poffibly do in a fummer feafon; and when the winter recalls you, we will, for our own interests, leave you to your speculations. God be thanked I have done with every thing, and of every kind that requires writing, except now and then a letter, or like a true old man, fcribling trifles only fit for children or school-boys of the lowest class at beft, which three or four of us read and laugh at to-day, and burn tomorrow, Yet, what is fingular, I never am without fome great work in view, enough to take up forty years of the moft vigorous healthy man: although I am convinced that I fhall never be able to finish three Treatifes, that have lain by me feveral years, and want nothing but correction. My Lord B. said in his Postscript, that would you go to Bath in three days: we fince heard that you were dangerously ill there, and that the news-mungers gave you over. But a gentleman of this kingdom, on his return from Bath, affured me he left you well, did fome others whom I have forgot.

and fo

I am

forry

forry at my heart that you are pestered with people who come in my name, and I profefs to you, it is without my knowledge. I am confident I fhall hardly ever have occafion again to recommend, for my friends here are very few, and fixed to the free-hold, from whence nothing but death will remove them. Surely I never doubted about your Effay on Man; and I would lay any odds, that I would never fail to discover you in fix lines, unless you had a mind to write below or befide yourself on purpose. I confefs I did never imagine you were fo deep in Morals, or that fo many new and excellent rules could be produced so advantageously and agreeably in that science, from any one head. I confefs in fome places I was forced to read twice; I believe I told you before what the Duke of D- faid to me on that occafion, How a judge here, who knows you, told him that on the first reading those Effays, he was much pleased, but found some lines a little dark: On the fecond most of them clear'd up, and his pleasure encreased: On the third he had no doubt remain'd, and then he admir'd the whole. My Lord B―'s attempt of reducing Metaphyfics to intelligible fenfe and ufefulness, will be a glorious undertaking, and as I never knew him fail in any thing he at$ 3 tempted,