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Pray God fend you health, det falutem, det opes; animam æquam tibi ipfe parabis. You fee Horace wished for money, as well as health and I would hold a crown he kept a coach; and I shall never be a friend to the Court, till you do fo too.

Yours, &c.

TH

LETTER XXV.

From Dr. SWIFT.

October 30, 1727.

HE firft letter I writ after my landing was to Mr. Gay; but it would have been wiser to direct to Tonfon or Lintot, to whom I believe his lodgings are better known than to the runners of the Poft-office. In that Letter you will find what a quick change I made in seven days from London to the Deanery, thro' many nations and languages unknown to the civilized world. And I have often reflected in how few hours, with a swift horse or a strong gale, a man may come among a people as unknown to him as the Antipodes. If I did not know you more by your converfation and kind

nefs than by your letter, I might be base enough to fufpect, that in point of friendship you acted like fome Philofophers who writ much better upon Virtue than they practised it. In answer, I can only fwear that you have taught me to dream, which I had not done in twelve years further than by inexpreffible nonsense; but now I can every night diftinctly fee Twickenham, and the Grotto, and Dawley, and many other et cetera's, and it is but three nights fince I beat Mrs. Pope. I muft needs confefs, that the pleafure I take in thinking on you is very much leffened by the pain I am in about your health: You pay dearly for the great talents God hath given you; and for the confequences of them in the esteem and diftinction you receive from mankind, unless you can provide a tolerable stock of health; in which pursuit I cannot much commend your conduct, but rather entreat you would mend it by following the advice of my Lord Bolingbroke and your other Physicians. When you talk'd of Cups and impreflions, it came into my head to imitate you in quoting Scripture, not to your advantage; I mean what was said to David by one of his brothers: "I knew thy pride and the "naughtiness of thy heart;" I remember when it grieved your foul to fee me pay a penny more than my club at an inn, when you had maintainę d

maintained me three months at bed and board; for which if I had dealt with you in the Smithfield way it would have cost me a hundred pounds, for I live worfe here upon more. Did you ever confider that I am for life almoft twice as rich as you, and pay no rent, and drink French wine twice as cheap as you do Port, and have neither Coach, Chair, nor Mother? As to the world, I think you ought to say to it with St. Paul, If we have fown unto you fpiritual things, is it a great thing if we shall reap your carnal things? This is more proper ftill, if you confider the French word Spiritual, in which fenfe the word ought to pay you better than they do. If you made me a present of a thousand pound, I would not allow myself to be in your debt; and if I made you a prefent of two, I would not allow myfelf to be out of it. But I have not half your pride; witness what Mr. Gay says in his letter, that I was cenfured for begging Presents, tho' I limited them to ten fhillings. I fee no reason, (at least my friendship and vanity fee none) why you fhould not give me a vifit, when you fhall happen to be difengaged: I will fend a perfon to Chefter to take care of you, and you fhall be used by the best folks we have here, as well as civility and good-nature can contrive; I believe local motion will be no ill phyfic, and I

will have your coming infcribed on my Tomb, and recorded in never-dying verfe.

I thank Mrs. Pope for her prayers, but I know the mystery. A perfon of my acquaintance, who used to correfpond with the last Great Duke of Tufcany, fhewing one of the Duke's letters to a friend, and profeffing great sense of his Highness's friendship, read this pas fage out of these letters, I would give one of my fingers to procure your real good. The perfon to whom this was read, and who knew the Duke well, faid, the meaning of real good was only that the other might turn a good Catholic. Pray ask Mrs. Pope whether this story is applicable to her and me? I pray God bless her, for I am fure she is a good Chriftian, and (which is almost as rare) a good Woman.

Adieu.

T

LETTER XXVI.

Mr. GAY to Dr. SWIFT.

Oct. 22, 1727.
1727

HE Queen's family is at laft fettled, and

in the lift I was appointed Gentlemanufher to the princess Louifa, the youngest Princefs; which, upon account that I am fo far advanced in life, I have declined accepting;

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and have endeavour'd, in the best manner I could, to make my excufes by a Letter to her Majefty. So now all my expectations are vanish'd; and I have no profpect, but in depending wholly upon myself, and my own conduct. As I am us'd to disappointments, I can bear them; but as I can have no more hopes, I can no more be disappointed, fo that I am in a bleffed condition. You remember you were advifing me to go into Newgate to finish my scenes the more correctly-I now think I fhall, for I have no attendance to hinder me; but my Opera is already finish'd. I leave the reft of this paper to Mr. Pope.

Gay is a Free-man, and I writ him a long Congratulatory Letter upon it. Do you the fame It will mend him, and make him a better man than a Court could do. Horace might keep his coach in Auguftus's time, if he pleas'd; but I won't in the time of our Auguftus. My Poem (which it grieves me that I dare not send you a copy of, for fear of the Curl's and Dennis's of Ireland, and still more for fear of the worst of Traytors, our Friends and Admirers) my Poem, I fay, will shew what a diftinguishing age we lived in: Your name is in it, with fome others under a mark of fuch

ignominy

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