us; who can bawl when I am deaf, and tread softly when I am only giddy and would sleep.

I had another reafon for my hafte hither, which was changing my Agent, the old one having terribly involved my little affairs; to which however I am grown fo indifferent, that I believe I fhall lofe two or three hundred pounds rather than plague myself with accounts; so that I am very well qualified to be a Lord, and put into Peter Walter's hands.

Pray God continue and increafe Mr Congreve's amendment, though he does not deferve it like you, having been too lavish of that health which Nature gave him.

I hope my Whitehall-landlord is nearer to a place than when I left him; as the Preacher faid, "the day of "judgment was nearer, than ever it had been before."

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

THE

LETTER XXV.

From Dr Swift.

O&. 30. 1727.

HE firft letter I writ after my landing was to Mr Gay; but it would have been wiser to direct it 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 feven days from London to the Deanry, thro' many nations and languages unknown to the civilized world. And I have often reflected in how few hours, with a swift horfe 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 kindness than by your letter, I might be bafe enough to fufpect, that in point of friendship you acted like fome Philofophers who writ much bet ter upon Virtue than they practifed it. In anfwer, 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 à tolerable stock of health; in which purfuit I can. not much commend your conduct, but rather intreat you would mend it by following the advice of my Lord Bolingbroke and your other Phyficians. When you talk'd of Cups and Impreffions, it came into my head to imitate you in quoting Scripture, not to your advantage; I mean what was faid 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 maintained me three months at bed and board; for which, if I had dealt with you in. the Smithfield way, it would have coft me a hundred pounds, for I live worse 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 fay to it with St. Paul, If we have fown unto you Spiritual things, is it a great thing if we shall reap your carnal things? This is more proper still, if you confi. der the French word spiritual, in which fenfe the world ought to pay you better than they do. If you made me a prefent of a thousand pounds, I would not allow myself to be in your debt; and if I made you a prefent of two, I would not allow myself to be out of it. But I have not half your pride: witness what Mr Gay fays in his letter, that I was cenfured for begging Prefents, though I limited them to ten fhillings. I fee no reafon, (at least my friendship and vanity fee none). why you should not give me a vifit, when you shall happen to be difengaged: I will fend a perfon to Chefter to take care of you, and you shall 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

correspond with the last Great Duke of Tuscany, fhew. ing one of the Duke's letters to a friend, and profeffing great fenfe of his Highness's friendship, read this paffage out of the letters, I would give one of my fingers to procure your real good. The person 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 afk Mrs Pope whether this story is applicable to her and me? I pray God bless her, for I am fure fhe is a good Chriftian, and (which is almost as rare) a good Woman.

THE

1

LETTER XXVI.

Mr GAY to Dr SWIFT.

Adieu.

08. 22. 1727.

HE Queen's family is at laft fettled, and in the lift was appointed Gentleman-ufher to the Princefs Louifa, the youngest Princefs; which, upon account that I am so far advanced in life, I have declin'd accepting; 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 prospect, 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 advising me to go into Newgate to finish my fcenes 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 Curll's and Dennis's of Ireland, and still more for fear of the worst of Traitors, our Friends and Admirers) my Poem, I say, will fhew what a diftinguishing age we lived in? Your name is in it, with fome others, under a mark of fuch ignominy as you will not much grieve to wear in that company. Adieu, and God bless you, and give you -health and spirits,

Whether thou chufe Cervantes' serious air,

Or laugh and shake in Rab'lais' eafy chair,
Or in the graver Gown inftruct mankind,

Or, filent, let thy morals tell thy mind.

These two verfes are over and above what I've faid of you in the Poem. Adieu.

I

LETTER XXVII.

Dr SWIFT to Mr GAY.

Dublin, Nov. 23. 1727.

Entirely approve your refusal of that employment, and your writing to the Queen. I am perfectly confident you have a keen enemy in the Ministry.