your fake and ease, I love and esteem her too much to wifh it for her own: If I were five and twenty, I would wish to be of her age, to be as fecure as fhe is of a better life. Mrs. P. B. has writ to me, and is one of the best Letter-writers I know; very good fenfe, civility and friendship, without any ftiffness or conftraint. The Dunciad has taken wind here, but if it had not, you are as much known here as in England, and the University-lads_will crowd to kifs the hem of your garment. I am griev❜d to hear that my Lord Bolingbroke's ill health forc'd him to the Bath. Tell me, is not Temperance a neceffary virtue for great men, fince it is the parent of Eafe and Liberty? fo neceffary for the ufe and improvement of the mind, and which Philofophy allows to be the greatest felicities of life? I believe, had health been given fo liberally to you, it would have been better husbanded without shame to your parts.

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LETTER XXXII.

Dawley, June 28, 1728.

Now hold the pen for my Lord Bolingbroke, who is reading your letter between two Haycocks; but his attention is fomewhat diverted by cafting his eyes on the clouds, not in admiration of what you fay, but for fear of a fhower. He is pleas'd with your placing him in the Triumvirate between yourself and me; tho' he says that he doubts he fhall fare like Lepidus, while one of us runs away with all the power like Auguftus, and another with all the pleasures like Anthony. It is upon a forefight of this, that he has fitted up his farm, and you will agree, that this scheme of retreat at least is not founded upon weak appearances,

Upon his return from the Bath, all peccant humours, he finds, are purg'd out of him; and his great Temperance and Oeconomy are so signal, that the first is fit for my conftitution, and the latter would enable you to lay up fo much money as to buy a Bishoprick in England. As to the return of his health and vigour, were you here, you might enquire of his Hay-makers; but as to his temperance, I can answer that (for one whole day) we have had nothing for dinner but mutton-broth, beans and bacon, and a Barn-door fowl.

Now his Lordship is run after his Cart, I have a moment left to myself to tell you, that I over-heard him yesterday agree with a Painter for 200l. to paint his country-hall with Trophies of Rakes, fpades, prongs, &c. and other ornaments merely to countenance his calling this place a Farm-now turn over a new leaf

He bids me affure you, he fhould be forry not to have more schemes of kindness for his friends, than of ambition for himself: There, tho' his fchemes may be weak, the motives at least are ftrong; and he fays further, if you could bear as great a fall, and decrease of your revenues, as he knows by experience he can, you wou'd not live in Ireland an hour.

The Dunciad is going to be printed in all pomp, with the infcription, which makes me proudeft. It will be attended with Proeme, Prolegomena, Teftimonia Scriptorum, Index Authorum, and Notes Variorum. As to the latter, I defire you to read over the Text, and make a few in any way you like beft *, whether dry raillery, upon the ftyle and way of commenting of trivial Critics; or humourous, upon the authors in the poem; or historical, of perfons, places, times; or explanatory; or collecting

Dr. Swift did fo.

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the parallel paffages of the Ancients. Adieu. I am pretty well, my Mother not ill, Dr. Arbuthnot vex'd with his fever by intervals; I am afraid he declines, and we fhall lofe a worthy man : I am troubled about him very much.

I am, &c.

LETTER XXXIII.

From Dr. SWIFT.

July 16, 1728.

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Have often run over the Dunciad in an Irish edition (I fuppofe full of faults) which a gentleman fent me. The notes I could wifh to be very large, in what relates to the perfons concern'd; for I have long obferv'd that twenty miles from London nobody understands hints, initial letters, or townfacts and paffages; and in a few years not even those who live in London. I would have the names of those fcriblers printed indexically at the beginning or end of the Poem, with an account of their works, for the reader to refer to. I would have all the Parodies (as they are call'd) referred to the author they imitate-When I began this long paper, I thought I fhould have fill'd it with fetting down the several paffages I had mark'd in the edition I had; but I find it unneceffary, fo many of them falling under the fame rule. After twenty times reading the whole, I never in my opinion saw so much good fatire, or more good fenfe, in fo many lines. How it paffes in Dublin I know not yet; but I am fure it will be a great disadvantage to the poem, that the perfons and facts will not be understood, till an explanation comes out, and a very full one. I imagine it is not to be publifhed till towards winter,

when folks begin to gather in town. Again I infist, you must have your Afterifks fill'd up with fome real names of real Dunces.

I am now reading your preceding letter, of June 28, and find that all I have advis'd above is mentioned there. I would be glad to know whether the quarto edition is to come out anonymously, as published by the Commentator, with all his pomp of prefaces, &c. and among many complaints of spurious editions? I am thinking whether the Editor fhould not follow the old ftyle of, This excellent author, &c. and refine in many places when you meant no refinement; and into the bargain take all the load of naming the dunces, their qualities, hiftories, and performances?

As to your felf, I doubt you want a fpurrer-on to exercise and to amusements; but to talk of decay at your feason of life is a jeft. But you are not fo regular as I. You are the most temperate man God-ward, and the most intemperate your felfward, of most I have known. I fuppofe Mr. Gay will return from the Bath with twenty pounds more flesh, and two hundred less in money: Providence never defign'd him to be above two and twenty, by his thoughtleffness and Cullibility. He hath as little forefight of age, fickness, poverty, or loss of admirers, as a girl at fifteen. By the way, I muft obferve, that my Lord Bolingbroke (from the effects of his kindness to me) argues moft fophiftically: The fall from a million to an hundred thousand pounds is not fo great, as from eight hundred pounds a year to one: Besides, he is a controller of Fortune, and Poverty dares not look a great Minister in the face, under his loweft declenfion. I never knew him live fo great and expensively as he hath done fince his return from Exile; fuch mortals have refources that others are not able to comprehend. But God bless You, whose great genius has not so tranf

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ported you as to leave you to the courtesy of mankind; for wealth is liberty, and liberty is a bleffing fitteft for a Philofopher-and Gay is a Slave just by two thousand pounds too little.-And Horace was of my mind, and let my Lord contradict him, if he dares.

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LETTER XXXIV.

Bath, Nov. 12, 1728.

Have paft fix weeks in queft of health, and found it not; but I found the folly of follicitude about it in a hundred inftances; the contrariety of opinions and practices, the inability of physicians, the blind obedience of fome patients, and as blind rebellion of others. I believe at a certain time of life, men are either fools, or phyficians for themfelves, and zealots, or divines for themselves.

It was much in my hopes that you intended us a winter's vifit, but last week I repented that wish, having been alarm'd with a report of your lying ill on the road from Ireland; from which I am just reliev'd by an affurance that you are still at Sir A—'s planting and building; two things that I envy you for, befides a third, which is the fociety of a valuable lady. I conclude (tho' I know nothing of it) that you quarrel with her, and abuse her every day, if the is fo. I wonder I hear of no Lampoons upon her, either made by yourself, or by others, because you esteem her. I think it a vaft pleasure that whenever two people of merit regard one another, fo many scoundrels envy and are angry at them; 'tis bearing teftimony to a merit they cannot reach; and if you knew the infinite content I have receiv'd of late, at the finding yours and my name conftantly united in any filly fcandal, I think you would go

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